*NPE is an image for exporting to countries that might have import restrictions on encryption technologies. It does not allow payload encryption. K9 image is used for the rest of the world. It consists of cryptographic features such as Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol and support for IP Security (IPSec).

There are four different software packages targeted to requirements in different places of the network, including campus and data center access, aggregation, and core.

The following are major feature highlights in each Cisco IOS Software package: